Cam Newton’s impact on the New England Patriots is already being felt

Cam Newton and N’Keal Harry working out together goes beyond simply being a cool thing to talk about. 

The Patriot Way didn’t leave for Tampa Bay with Tom Brady.

In fact, some could argue the Patriot Way has never been stronger, as new quarterback Cam Newton comes to New England fully embodying the middle fingers up approach to finding success under Bill Belichick.

Newton, a former league MVP who is less than a half-decade removed from starting in a Super Bowl, has a less a chip on his should so much as a crater he wants to fill with the souls of those who doubted him. Passed over for three months and 31 teams, Newton is primed to have a season that validates his status as one of the league’s best quarterbacks and begins to cement legacy questions like whether or not he’ll end up in Canton.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, Newton has to put in the work to actually deliver what is starting to be assumed he’ll achieve in New England. Even before the Patriots signed him to an incentive-laden $7.5 million deal, Newton was making headlines by working out with Tyrod Taylor and Odell Beckham Jr. Now that he has a job, that streak of putting in the work continues and it’s having a trickle-down effect that will make his new head coach proud.

Newton was recently seen performing passing drills with N’Keal Harry, the Patriots first-round pick from a year ago and someone who could have a breakout season thanks to his new quarterback.

If the workout together is any indication of the drive Newton is adding to the Patriots already insane level of grit, the rest of the league had better watch out.

This goes beyond a simple workout. There are layers to this that go beyond just being a cool viral thing to geek out about as we wait for sports to return. One of the big reasons Tom Brady landing in Tampa Bay was seen as a huge deal was because of what he brought in terms of changing the locker room. The Bucs, who many forget are a professional football franchise, have withered in obscurity and often immaturity as a team without a true leader.

Brady changed that, and his track record is what he established in New England. With him gone, doubts immediately arose over whether Jarrett Stidham would be able to fill those enormous shoes as someone who not only was respected as a proven leader in the locker room but someone who had the wisdom to impart on his younger teammates.

Newton is that guy. His wisdom has been speaking for itself for the last decade and now he’s passing that drive and determination onto the younger generation of Patriots players.